To Fly Without Wings
by TB Sonata
Summary: AU. A terrible accident leaves Heero paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down. He starts Hyppotherapy, then meets a horse who is as misunderstood as he is. Can the two learn to trust humans - and each other - together? 1xR


Title: To Fly Without Wings  
  
Disclaimer: Anything and anyone you don't recognize isn't mine.  
  
Author: TB Sonata  
  
Stuff you might want to know (and if you don't, I don't really care): AU. Has some OOCness, because it's AU. Duh. ::rolls eyes:: Rated PG for now, but in case anyone doesn't want to expose their child to some drug issues (in later chapters), then it's PG-13.  
  
Opening Comments: I had the idea for this a while back, and finally decided to write it when my friend started volunteering at a Hyppotherapy stable. I don't mean to offend anyone, but if it does offend you please let me know.  
  
1 ***  
  
"Do we have to do this?" asked 15-year old Heero Yuy, an annoyed tone in his voice.  
  
"Yes." His mother said defiantly.  
  
"Well, it's stupid. It's never going to work."  
  
"This is our last chance!" Mrs. Yuy's patience was running thin.  
  
"Can't I just stay with Dr. Po?"  
  
"Heero, we've been over this time and time again. Regular therapy wasn't doing much, and this is acclaimed work! If it doesn't do any good, I'll understand, but you have to at least try."  
  
Heero sighed and leaned his head back against his wheelchair. He was just about to give up hope of ever walking again.  
  
An accident two years earlier had left paraplegic, paralyzed form the waist down. Dr. Po had said that there was a slight chance, slight, that he would walk again.  
  
So, of course, his mother took that chance and tried every possible therapy method she could find. Heero, his mother, and his brother Trowa moved closer to experts. It did more harm than good.  
  
Paralyzed? Heero? No way. He was the track star. He was popular; he had friends and money. He had a beautiful girlfriend. He couldn't be paralyzed.  
  
His friends stuck by him for a while, but little by little they backed off. They went to parties without him. Went to football games without him. They dropped out one by one, and Heero realized that they were never very good friends at all.  
  
Heero saw no point of trying anymore, but his mother saw things differently. Her latest method? Hyppotherapy. Heero had scoffed at the idea. How could riding horses help him to walk? He couldn't even move his legs, much less ride a horse!  
  
But his mother insisted that they try it, and no matter how hard much he protested, Heero couldn't convince her otherwise.  
  
The car turned onto a long gravel driveway, bumping around this way and that. The SUV rumbled into a parking space and Heero made no effort to help his mother get him out of it. She sighed heavily again but the boy made no heed.  
  
As soon as they entered the barn, Heero wrinkled up his nose in disgust at the smell. Before he had a chance to comment on it, a nice looking woman walked up to them.  
  
"Hi," she said, shaking Mrs. Yuy's hand, "I'm Lucrezia Noin, and I'll be your instructor. You must be Heero?"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"Alright then. I'm going to steal your mother for a while so she can sign some papers, and I'll leave you to get acquainted with the horses, okay?"  
  
Heero nodded again. Ms. Noin smiled and straightened up, looking around her.  
  
"Now where is that girl? Relena!"  
  
A girl around Heero's age came out of a small room below a set of stairs to the left and trotted up to them.  
  
"Yeah?" she was wearing a pair of straight-legged jeans and a T-shirt that had 'Barn Goddess' emblazoned across the front. Her honey-blond hair was pulled back into a simple pony tail, suitable for hanging around a barn all day long in.  
  
"This is Heero Yuy, our new student."  
  
"Oh!," Relena smiled at Heero, "hi."  
  
Heero liked how she didn't stare at his wheelchair or try to act too nice to him. As a matter of fact, neither did that Lucrezia Noin woman or any of the people that passed by.  
  
"Relena, show him around and let him meet some of the people as well. We won't be ready for a while."  
  
She nodded and began to walk off, motioning for Heero to follow. His wheelchair was a little slow, and she walked according to his speed.  
  
"This is the tack room¹," she began, referring to the room she had come out of earlier. "and that's the viewing room. Parents can watch the arena from there is they don't want to stand around. But that's boring. Here, let me show you the horses."  
  
She proceeded to stop by each one of the stalls that adorned the walls. When they reached the end of the aisle, she stopped by a small half- stall.  
  
"This is Sugarfoot. You'll be riding her."  
  
Sugarfoot was a small pony, bay with a star on her forehead and a white sock on her right hind leg². She was sweet looking, but not what Heero had expected. Relena noticed this.  
  
"Look, I know you probably wanted to ride one of the big, flashy horses, but this is your first time riding. Not only that, and I don't mean to offend you, but this is hyppotherapy, not huntseat equitation³. This pony is about as sweet, good tempered, and gentle as they come. Smart, too."  
  
One of those speeches coming from a girl his age seemed to sink in better than one from his parents might have. She didn't say it outright, but he knew she thought he was being conceited and arrogant. Heero figured he might as well give this hyppotherapy thing a chance.  
  
Heero looked upon this pony in a new light, and she reached her head over the stall door and rubbed it against his shoulder. He reached up and patted her between the ears.  
  
Heero smiled despite himself. This horse could care less if he couldn't walk. Neither did the people here. Maybe, just maybe, this ridicules thing could work.  
  
****  
  
1 - 'tack' is the equipment used when riding a horse: saddles, bridles, girths, etc. The 'tack room' is where it is kept.  
  
2 - 'bay' means the horse has a brown coat, but the mane, tail, and most of the legs are black. The ears usually have a black trim, and the muzzle is black as well. A 'star' is a white spot of hair on a horse's head, and a 'sock' is white hair above the hoof.  
  
3 - 'huntseat equitation' is a type of English riding.  
  
Closing Comments: I meant to post this much earlier, but let's just say something came up and I didn't feel like doing much of anything for a while. Please review, flames are accepted. Also, anyone who knows anything about Hyppotherapy, please e-mail me at TB_Sonata@yahoo.com. Thank you. 


End file.
